Method of securing a hairpiece

ABSTRACT

A method is provided for holding a hairpiece firmly in place on a wearer&#39;&#39;s head by anchoring adjustable brackets to the wearer&#39;&#39;s existing hair. A firm anchor is formed from a bead of melted rubber which is fused into a thin strip of existing hair, and subsequently hardens therein. An anchor attachment and adjustable male bracket are fastened to the rubber anchor, the male bracket engaging a corresponding female bracket attached to the base of the hairpiece to firmly hold the hairpiece in place. The effective length of the male bracket may be adjusted to compensate for hair growth over a period of time.

iJit ttes Johnson et at.

[54] METHOD OF SECURING A HAIRPIECE [72] Inventors: Ralph L. Johnson, 2400 N.W. 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73107; Gary E. Clayton, Lot E6, 1100 South Rockwell, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73108 [22] Filed: Mar. 12, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 123,757

51 rm. Cl ..A41g3/00 [58] Field ofSearch ...l32/53,54, 5,56

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,280,826 10/1966 Jenkins ..l35/5 3,295,534 l/l967 Dorkin ..132/5 3,521,646 7/1970 Taylor 132/5 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeil] Attorney-Clarence A. O'Brien and Harvey B. Jacobson s7 ABSTRACT A method is provided for holding hairpiece firmly in place on a wearer's head by anchoring adjustable brackets to the wearer's existing hair. A firm anchor is formed from a bead of melted rubber which is fused into a thin strip of existing hair, and subsequently hardenstherein. An anchor attachment and adjustable male bracket are fastened to the rubber anchor, the male bracket engaging a corresponding female bracket attached to the base of the hairpiece to firmly hold the hairpiece in place. The effective length of the male bracket may be adjusted to compensate for hair growth over a period of time.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures METHOD OF SECURING A HAIRPIECE The invention is related to mens hairpieces, and more particularly to the method of firmly attaching a toupee in position on the head of a wearer.

In the past, men's hairpieces, or toupees, have been secured in place with co-adhesive tape or various types of glues. Many people experience the fear that their toupee may slip out of place or completely fall off. For people who are active in sports and other activities, the glues and tapes do not provide satisfactory means of even temporarily holding the toupee in place. Furthermore, the holding capabilities of such glues and tapes tend to diminish over a period of time, thus requiring replacement on a periodic basis.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means of firmly holding a hairpiece in place on a wearer's head such that it will not come loose over a period of time or under strenuous activity.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for fastening a hairpiece firmly in place such that it may be worn in comfort and adjusted to fit properly as the wearers actual hair grows in length over a period of time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an anchor in the wearers actual hair which is formed from a bead of rubber material fused into a thin strip of the actual hair.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a means for fastening a hairpiece in place which is adjustable on the wearers head, yet does not require periodic maintenance or replacement, such that the wearer can wear the hairpiece confidently over a long period oftime.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the head of a wearer, with toupee removed, having an anchor strip formed around the perimeter of his actual hair.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an anchor attachment fastened to the anchor strip formed in the wearer's hair.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the hairpiece fastened in place by way of the brackets and anchor attachment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the brackets and anchor attachment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the bottom surface of the male and female brackets.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 1, numeral generally indicates the head of a wearer. An anchor strip 12 is formed around the perimeter of the wearers hair 14 to provide an anchor, as hereinafter explained. A hairpiece, or toupee, 16 has a base 18 with a plurality of female brackets 20 fastened to its lower surface.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the thin strip of hair 12 is separated, or parted, around the perimeter area 20 of the wearers actual hair. Preferably, this narrow strip is about one-eighth inch wide, and is of a shape which aligns with the perimeter of the toupee 16, when placed in position. A thin bead of rubber material 22 is melted and fused into the narrow anchor strip 12 by means such as a rubber glue gun. The rubber 22 hardens as it cools, to form a permanent anchor in the hair which can be removed only by cutting off the hair itself. A plurality of anchor attachments 24 are attached to anchor 22 by fastening threads 26, or similar fastening means. Each anchor attachment 24 includes a plurality of spaced thread holes 28 and a resilient mounting post 30 extending in the upward direction. The anchor attachments are relatively thin such that they will not noticeably raise the toupee on the wearers head and may be made of high impact polystyrene, vinyl, rubber, or similar resilient materials.

Referring to FIG. 4, it will be appreciated, that an elongated male bracket, or flat finger 32, is provided for each anchor attachment and has a hole 34 at one end thereof which is press fitted, or snapped over, resilient mounting posts 30 of each anchor attachment 24. Each mounting post 30 is such that, once male bracket 32 has been snapped into position, it will be held firmly in place, it being almost impossible to accidentally unsnap the connection, until the proper removing force is applied. Each male bracket 32 is adapted to extend into collarshaped female bracket 36 having a plurality of gripping apertures 38, formed in the bottom side thereof, to provide an adjustable bracket assembly. Each finger, or bracket, has a plurality of fastening teeth 40 on one side thereof, each having a sloped surface 42 and a relatively perpendicular surface 44, such that engagement of the teeth with fastening apertures 38 will prevent movement of finger 32 in one direction, but permit tightening movement on the opposite direction. Each female bracket 36 is fastened to the lower surface of toupee base 18 by means such as cement 45 and/or fastening threads 46 extending through holes 48, as shown in FIG. 3.

The effective length of each finger 32 may be adjusted by sliding the finger through the opening in the corresponding collar-shaped bracket 36. Each of the collar-shaped brackets 36 is relatively rigid, yet elastic in nature, such that sloped surfaces 42 of teeth 40 will flex the segments 39 outwardly. When teeth 40 are aligned with apertures 38, segments 39 return to their original position to lock teeth 40 in position. If adjustment is made beyond the desired point (i.e., male bracket 32 too short), the entire length of bracket 32 is passed through the collar-shaped bracket and restarted. After each finger 32 has been properly adjusted, it is snapped to the appropriate anchor attachment 24 by way of the post and hole arrangement 30, 34. It will be appreciated, that as the hair along strip 20 continues to grow over a period of time, fingers 32 may be adjusted to offset any changes in the positions of anchor attachments 24 due to hair growth. Thus, a relatively simple, inexpensive method is provided for readily adjusting the anchor bracket assembly to effectively hold the toupee in place.

It should be noted, that slight variations in the size and configuration of brackets 32 and 36 are within the scope of this invention. It is appreciated, that the snap lock connection 30, 34 will permit the wearer to remove the toupee for bathing, shampooing, or for other reasons, he may desire. Most important, is the fact that the toupee can be worn with confidence, without the fear that it will accidentally come loose, as with co-adhesive tapes or glues.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A method for fastening a hairpiece to the head of a wearer, said method consisting of the steps of fusing a bead of hardenable material into the hair of the wearer to form a permanent hair anchor, allowing the bead to reach a hardened condition, fastening anchor attachments to the bead after it has reached the hardened condition, and securing the hairpiece to the anchor attachments to hold it firmly in place on the wearers head.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of fusing the bead of hardenable material to the hair of the wearer includes the step of parting or separating the wearers hair to form a narrow strip of hair around the bald area.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of securing the hairpiece to the anchor attachments includes the step of securing bracket assemblies to the bottom of the hairpiece for connection to the anchor attachments.

4. The method set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of securing the anchor attachments includes the step of adjusting the effective length of each bracket assembly prior to connecting the hairpiece to the anchor attachments.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 wherein the hairpiece connected to the anchor attachments by snapping part of each bracket assembly onto the corresponding anchor attachment to finnly hold the hairpiece in place.

6. A device for fastening a toupee to the head ofa wearer, said device comprising a bead of hardenable material in the hair of the wearer to form a permanent anchor therein, an anchor attachment fastened to said bead, and a bracket assembly connected to the bottom of the toupee and engaging said anchor attachment when the toupee is positioned on the head ofa wearer.

7. The device set forth in claim 6 wherein said bracket assembly includes means for selectively adjusting the effective length ofsaid bracket assembly.

8. The device set forth in claim 6 wherein said bracket assembly includes an elongated male bracket with a plurality of teeth thereon and a collar-shaped female bracket with a plurality of apertures therein adapted to receive some of said plurality of teeth on said male bracket to secure the toupee to the head of the wearer.

9. The device set forth in claim 8 wherein said elongated male bracket is snapped fastened to said anchor attachment to prevent accidental removal of the toupee from the head of the wearer.

10. The device set forth in claim 9 wherein said collarshaped female bracket is made of a flexible, elastic material which flexes to permit adjustment of said elongated male brackets. 

1. A method for fastening a hairpiece to the head of a wearer, said method consisting of the steps of fusing a bead of hardenable material into the hair of the wearer to form a permanent hair anchor, allowing the bead to reach a hardened condition, fastening anchor attachments to the bead after it has reached the hardened condition, and securing the hairpiece to the anchor attachments to hold it firmly in place on the wearer''s head.
 2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of fusing the bead of hardenable material to the hair of the wearer includes the step of parting or separating the wearer''s hair to form a narrow strip of hair around the bald area.
 3. The method set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of securing the hairpiece to the anchor attachments includes the step of securing bracket assemblies to the bottom of the hairpiece for connection to the anchor attachments.
 4. The method set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of securing the anchor attachments includes the step of adjusting the effective length of each bracket assembly prior to connecting the hairpiece to the anchor attachments.
 5. The method set forth in claim 4 wherein the hairpiece connected to the anchor attachments by snapping part of each bracket assembly onto the corresponding anchor attachment to firmly hold the hairpiece in place.
 6. A device for fastening a toupee to the head of a wearer, said device comprising a bead of hardenable material in the hair of the wearer to form a permanent anchor therein, an anchor attachment fastened to said bead, and a bracket assembly connected to the bottom of the toupee and engaging said anchor attachment when the toupee is positioned on the head of a wearer.
 7. The device set forth in claim 6 wherein said bracket assembly includes means for selectively adjusting the effective length of said bracket assembly.
 8. The device set forth in claim 6 wherein said bracket assembly includes an elongated male bracket with a plurality of teeth thereon and a collar-shaped female bracket with a plurality of apertures therein adapted to receive some of said plurality of teeth on said male bracket to secure the toupee to the head of the wearer.
 9. The device set forth in claim 8 wherein said elongated male bracket is snapped fastened to said anchor attachment to prevent accidental removal of the toupee from the head of the wearer.
 10. The device set forth in claim 9 wherein said collar-shaped female bracket is made of a flexible, elastic material which flexes to permit adjustment of said elongated male brackets. 